An Arab-American woman sees signs of hope.

November 16, 2008

Roundup: Middle East, Environment and Food Blogs

This blog is approaching its fifth year anniversary covering signs of hope for the Middle East, the environment, and food. Originally begun with only Middle East hope topics in mind, I had to expand to the environment pretty quickly, because you know the news from the Arab world and Israel is often miserable. Then when there's nothing hopeful to write about the environment, I post food articles, because whatever happens, you always have to make dinner. Now it's time to share my daily blog reading:

For many years I was the only Green Arab Foodie blogger, until Rami Zurayk, professor of agriculture at the American University of Beirut, started Land and People. This is now the premier blog for food and social justice issues, covering the whole world, not just the Arabs.

Paul Krugman. You can't go wrong with the Nobel prize-winner who told me to get a fixed rate mortgage in 2003.

Jack and Jill Politics for the bourgeois black American view. Since I'm a bourgeois Arab-American who grew up around bourgeois African-Americans, I make no apologies for subscribing to unapologetic bourgeois AA perspectives.

Comments

I think you would find Jonathan Ide's Pastpeak.com a very worthy addition to your list. He is not posting as often as in the past, but is always worthwhile. Your values, I think, in Minnesota. Search Iraq, or food, or environment, or justice, to get an idea.

On the Middle East I would recommend Mark Elf's Jews sans frontieres. A lot of the commentators including Mark himself are anti-Zionist Jews. Which gives the site a different character than a lot of other blogs writing on Palestine.

Well Leila, your anniversary of writing about the Middle East sure comes at an interesting time, that's for sure. King Abdullah's peace proposal seems to be working like an acid exposing the terrible divisions in Israel. I see that Peres in London is actually talking about Civil War amongst the Israelis over the question of the settlements, with what can seem glimpses of same breaking out in Hebron. And of course there's lots of talk that Obama supports the Abdullah Plan too, although Dennis Ross seems to be doing his best to deny that with God knows what validity.

So at any rate it seems you are certainly going to have a lot to talk about.

I don't remember if i've commented on your blog before. Ahh! memory cells.I found your blog after goggling ' arab women bloggers' i realized that i had missed Ramadan..im not sure when it dawned to me or whether i had been nursed through the fringes of memory. i understanding longing through my skin..perhaps..now that ive conditioned myself not to feel.. to feel anger and invisibility.. with my smile etched invisibly in the corners of my face whenever i met sisters in the store.. Salam alakum i say with my eyes.. do they see me and i see them..& for that brief moment when our eyes connect..she sees that i understand & that someone knows what it is to be brown, woman and immigrant..

I applaud you. Writing about the experience of cancer. I, I must admit that I feel incapable of writing or even verbally speaking on what it means to me to have an illness that has chronic reverberations. An illness that within its disguise of untold fatigue, immobility, gnashing of teeth, grasping mortality, I feel thankful. It's the inbetween that I struggle with..

May you be happy
May you be well.
May you be safe.
May you be peaceful and at ease.

Cookbooks

Deborah Madison: Vegetarian Cooking for EveryoneIndispensable - I use it all the time, and give it as presents to brides, young people starting out, etc. Not for vegetarians only - hence the title - a great resource for anybody wanting delicious recipes for vegetables, grains and legumes. Great sauces and salads, too.